Ameliorate (Adopted By Alex Gaskarth Fanfic)✅

Chapter 9

Last night was the first time I had gotten nightmare-free, hours-long sleep in a very long time. I didn't wake up to simple sounds like I always have, creaking of a door, quiet footsteps downstairs, the settling of the house.

Walking downstairs after showering and dressing, I saw Alex on the phone talking.

"Okay, sure. We'll be there by noon." I was slightly confused, then decided that the band probably had another practice or something.

Alex turned as he hung up the phone, and saw me. "Morning, kid!" He smiled.

"Morning," I smiled back.

"Y'know, you can take that off," Alex motioned to the black zipper hoodie over my tank top. "It's pretty fucking hot out, and I already know... You don't need to feel self-conscious about it or anything.. Okay?"

"Okay, thanks." Yeah, it was definitely hot out, I knew that. So I unzipped my hoodie, throwing it over my shoulder until I had to go outside at anytime.

Alex snorted. "Nice shirt." I looked down, remembering I was wearing my black tank top with blue font that read Fuck This, Fuck That, Fuck You, I'm Becoming A Stripper.

I laughed. "Gee, thanks."

"Yeah.. And so I was on the phone, if you didn't see, and it was with someone who works about an hour and half away... Were you being honest when you said you don't know what happened to your mother?"

Shit.

"I, uh..."

"I'll take that as a no. Well, they said you were also informed about once-a-year visits that they wanted you to make to keep a 'bond' with her, or just so you can both see how each other are doing."

She doesn't give a shit.

"Well, to be honest I didn't know about these visits. I guess you were only supposed to start them once you were in a stable home. So they want us to meet her at noon, at Washington County Detention Centre." He looked at me as I stared into my coffee. "Okay?" He added softly.

"Okay." I let out a deep breath.

"Can I ask why she was given life in prison?"

I shrugged. "Long story."

Alex bit his lip, obviously thinking for a few seconds before replying, "Okay. You can tell me whenever you're ready."

Alex Gaskarth's POV:

"Can I ask why she was given life in prison?" I asked. Why would such a sweet girl's mother be arrested for something so badly she has to rot in prison?

Adelpha shrugged, still looking into the dark abyss that was her coffee. "Long story."

I thought about asking her to tell me anyways, but decided that its probably a touchy subject, and she may not want to have to talk about it just yet. "Okay, you can tell me whenever you're ready."

It probably isn't a long story, she just didn't want me to know. Does she really not trust me? Of course she doesn't, it's a good possibility that she has trust issues, and her mother may have been a cause of that.

I knew that when she was in an orphanage, she had been bullied by other kids. The staff lady at the orphanage told me so, since she had stayed there at one point. She said it because she had been brought back from being adopted once, and because she was interested in darker music and mostly kept to herself.

Why the hell was she adopted once, but brought back? You don't do that with your own biological kid, so why treat these kids like animals?

"One of the staff members at the adoption centre told me you were adopted once, but brought back... Why would you be brought back? I don't see any reason to be, even if they didn't like your music taste or anxiety." I blurted out. Dammit, nice one. I'm supposed to get her to trust me, not be terrified of me. "Uh, sorry. I shouldn't have asked. I'm sorry."